The Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED) has issued 1,251 licences in February this year, according to a report by its economic affairs division.

The majority of these licences were issued in the commercial sector (1,018), followed by the professional sector (192), industrial (23) and tourism (18), it said.

‘General trade’ led the list of the top 10 licenced activities with 130 licences issued, followed by ‘readymade garments’ with 124, ‘real estate brokerage’ with 95, ‘watches and accessories’ with 94 and ‘perfumes and cosmetics’ with 91 licenses, according to the report.

‘Limited liability companies’ (LLCs) topped the list of issued licences according to legal status with 667 licences issued in February, followed by ‘Individual Corporations’ with 513.

The total number of transactions completed last month stood at 32,550. ‘Licence renewal’ topped the list of transactions with 6,501 (20 per cent) followed by ‘Licences amendment’ with 4,931 (15 per cent) and ‘Certificates’ with 4,477 (14 per cent).

The Intlaq scheme, a DED initiative to encourage more UAE nationals to set up businesses from home, received strong response with 48 licences issued in February 2008, a 30 per cent increase from February last year.

The scheme’s highest growth was recorded in the trade category, with 40 licences issued.

In February, DED issued 11 new licences to branches of foreign firms from Britain, Switzerland, Brazil, South Korea, China, Pakistan and elsewhere.-TradeArabia News Service